I have spent all my adult life working with children… and long may it continue!
After finishing a Business Studies Degree, I ‘dipped’ into stage management for a while in London’s West End before changing direction - training to become a ballet teacher with The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). After several years of teaching in London, I established The Samara Ballet School, relocating from London to the Cambridge/Norfolk borders. The school grew to over 500 pupils and became a huge part of the community, offering all genres of dance and theatre training up to professional levels. I became a Fellow of the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) in both Ballet and Theatre Craft faculties, adjudicated at dance festivals and trained the next generation of teachers… hoping to instill in them my mantra that the best results come from happy children. This, in turn, formed the thesis for my MA in professional practice from Middlesex University (very grand - not bad for a girl from Liverpool!).
During more than 30 years of teaching, I spent many a happy time either ‘on the road’ as a travelling chaperone for children as they took part in external productions, TV or film parts or accompanying them to auditions and photo shoots. As the rules governing chaperone usage became more stringent (thankfully!) I started to work with agencies outside of my school so when the time came to take (very) early retirement it was the obvious next step in my, so far, varied career.
After finishing a Business Studies Degree, I ‘dipped’ into stage management for a while in London’s West End before changing direction - training to become a ballet teacher with The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). After several years of teaching in London, I established The Samara Ballet School, relocating from London to the Cambridge/Norfolk borders. The school grew to over 500 pupils and became a huge part of the community, offering all genres of dance and theatre training up to professional levels. I became a Fellow of the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) in both Ballet and Theatre Craft faculties, adjudicated at dance festivals and trained the next generation of teachers… hoping to instill in them my mantra that the best results come from happy children. This, in turn, formed the thesis for my MA in professional practice from Middlesex University (very grand - not bad for a girl from Liverpool!).
During more than 30 years of teaching, I spent many a happy time either ‘on the road’ as a travelling chaperone for children as they took part in external productions, TV or film parts or accompanying them to auditions and photo shoots. As the rules governing chaperone usage became more stringent (thankfully!) I started to work with agencies outside of my school so when the time came to take (very) early retirement it was the obvious next step in my, so far, varied career.